Vacuum clothes dryer with perforated floor and adjustable air leak



July 16, 1968 c. w. LAMBERT 3,392,457

VACUUM CLOTH DRYER WITH PERFOR D FLOOR AND DJUSTAB AIR LEA Filed May 1967 INVENTOR.

United States Patent ice Filed May 26, 1967, Ser. No. 641,668 3 Claims. (CI. 34-92) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention combines a partially evacuated drum, a heating unit supported upon Y-shaped supports, an adjustable air leak allowing a small and continuous flow of air into the drum, heating the wet clothes and drum interior, and a perforated floor supporting said clothes.

The invention relates to vacuum clothes dryers in general and in particular is a simplified improvement of Vacuum Clothes Dryer, Patent No. 3,308,553, Mar. 14, 1967.

In the present form, the rotatable clothes basket, the basket rotating means, the reducing valve and the bypass valve are all eliminated and, where necessary, simpler forms have been used.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a top view of the dryer. FIG. 2 shows the electrical air heating unit. FIG. 3 is a view of one of the Y-shaped supports of the heater secured into an insulating block. FIG. 4 shows a portion of the perforated platform or floor which supports the wet clothes inside of the vacuum drum. FIG. 5 shows the adjustable leak which allows a small and continuous flow of warm air into the lower part of the partially evacuated drum. FIG. 6 shows a conical shaped glass window which admits light into the upper part of the drum. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-section of the drum and air heater box and includes a general view showing the location of the related parts of the machine.

Although an electrical heating unit is shown, the dryer is adaptable to gas or other forms of air heating.

In the drawing, the same parts have the same reference numbers in all figures of the drawing.

In FIG. 7, 1 is the frame, 2 is the cylindrical part of the vacuum drum, 3 is the curved upper end of the drum, 4 is the pressure tight door or cover and 5 is the lower curved drum end. 6 is an interior frame which, with post 7, supports the perforated floor 8. Instead of the coarse wire mesh of FIG. 4, the floor can be of sheet metal in which is punched a large number of holes close together. 9 is a warm air space below the floor 8.

In FIGS. 5 and 7, 10 is the port through which warm air flows into the drum. 11 is the general reference number for the air leak block which is secured to lower drum end 5.

In FIGS. 2 and 7, 12 is the electrical resistance heating unit. 13, in FIGS. 2, 3, and 7, is one of the arms of support 14 which is cemented at 29 into porcelain insulating block 15. Arms 13 are crimped loosely around heater rod 12, allowing limited movement of expansion and contraction. 16 is the cylindrical air heating box with exterior insulation at 17. The top of :box 16 is closed by lower drum end 5. The bottom of box 16 is partially open for entrance of air. 18 is the exit port from top of drum when vacuum pump 20 and motor 22 draw warm satu- 3,392,457 Patented July 16, 1968 rated air from the drum at 18-19 and discharge same to atmosphere at 21.

In FIGS. 1 and 7, 23 are electrical control switches in console 25 and 24 is the dial of a manually set time switch for cycle duration.

In FIG. 5, 26 is the adjustable leak screw which restricts or limits the flow of warm air through 27-10 into the drum. The vacuum pump 20 maintains a fairly low degree of vacuum in the drum, depending on the rate of flow through the leak. Water vaporizes at a lower temperature in a partial vacuum than at atmospheric pressure.

The ragged edge of perforated floor '8 is covered by a flat circular ring 28, FIG. 4, which is secured to the floor 8 and to the frame 6.

In FIGS. 1 and 7, the cover or door 4 has a handle at 30 and a hinge at 31.

In FIG. 7, water vapor is drawn up into the space 32 above the clothes 35 and soon moves to the exit port 18. A conical glass window 33, cemented into drum end 3 at 34, FIGS. 6 and 1, illuminates the interior of the drum from a light bulb in console 25.

Motor 22 and pump 20 continuously evacuate air and water vapor from the drum interior during the drying cycle. Adjustable leak 11 is set to allow a small current of warm air, from heater box 16, to flow into space 9 below the floor 8 in the vacuum drum. Heat is radiated into the drum through curved end bell 5.

In FIG. 7 is shown a small transformer 36. The primary side 37 is connected to one of the switches 23 in console 25. The low voltage side, about 12 volts, has terminals 38 which are connected to the ends of heater rod 12. The step-down of voltage increases the heater current tenfold.

The vacuum clothes dryer has several advantages over contemporary heat dryers.

(1) It dries clothes in a much shorter time.

(2) It dries clothes at a lower temperature, avoiding roasting.

(3) It does not roast the delicate fibers.

(4) It does not form lint.

In an ordinary heat dryer, lint forms at the rate of 1% ounces of lint per person per month. In a family of 4 persons this is a continuing waste of at least $30.00 per year. i

In the ordinary heat dryer, a thick turkish towel is eventually reduced to cheese cloth.

(5) The vacuum clothes dryer saves its first cost every 10 years of ordinary operation.

(6) The wet fibers expand in the partial vacuum and are dried in the expanded condition resulting in a softness and flufliness not otherwise possible.

(7) The vacuum clothes dryer saves the owner time, power, clothing and money.

I claim:

1. A vacuum clothes dryer comprising the combination of a vacuum drum, a frame supporting said drum, an insulated air heating box secured to the bottom of said drum, insulating blocks secured within said air heating box, Y-shaped supports secured into said blocks, a radiant heating unit resting upon said supports, arms of said supports loosely crimped around said heating unit, stems of said supports holding said heating unit at sufiicient height above said insulator blocks as to prevent over-heating of said blocks, means for allowing a continuous controlled flow of warm air from said box into said drum, an air tight door closing an entrance to said drum, a vacuum pump continuously removing humid air from the upper part of said drum during the drying cycle and means for supporting the wet clothes above the bottom of said drum.

2. A vacuum clothes dryer as claimed in claim 1, and an interior frame within the lower part of said drum, a perforated floor supported by said interior frame, and a space below said floor in said drum containing heated air from said box.

3. A vacuum clothes dryer as claimed in claim 1, and an adjustable leak means set to allow a continuous small draft of warm air from said heating box into the interior of said drum.

References Cited- UNITED STATES PATENTS Griswold et a]. 3492 Staunton 34-92 Bersted et al. 338-306 XR Gold 34-92 XR Scofield 3453 10 JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner. FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Examiner.

A. D. HERRMANN, Assistant Examiner. 

